Sacha Baron Cohen had been due to play the late Queen frontman but pulled out this summer

PA

Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly being lined up to star as Freddie Mercury in the forthcoming biopic of the late Queen singer.

Sacha Baron Cohen had been attached to star as Mercury but the Borat star pulled out of the project this summer, reportedly because he and Queen, who have script and director approval, were unable to agree on the type of movie they wanted to make.

Now the Daily Star is reporting that the film’s producers have their eyes on Harry Potter star Radcliffe. “Daniel has been told the part is his if he wants it,” a ‘source’ apparently told the newspaper. “Despite his youth, Daniel impressed movie bosses with his portrayal of gay poet Allen Ginsburg in this year’s movie Kill Your Darlings. Plus, he’s closer in height to Freddie than Sacha, who’s much taller. Daniel can really sing, too.”

Radcliffe actually stands at 5ft 5ins tall – around four-and-a-half inches shorter than the late Queen frontman. Baron Cohen is a much more statuesque 6ft 3ins.

Screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) had been attached to pen the film’s script but claimed earlier this month (September) that the film is “probably not going to happen” following Baron Cohen’s exit. However, one of the film’s producers Graham King has since told Digital Spy that the project is “still very much alive”.

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